| Title | THE COFFEE CONNECTOR |
| Brand | SINGAPORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD |
| Product / Service | STATUTORY BOARD RESPONSIBLE FOR FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT |
| Category | A01. Use of promotional stunts/live advertising/live shows/concerts & festivals |
| Entrant | THE SECRET LITTLE AGENCY Singapore, SINGAPORE |
| Entrant Company | THE SECRET LITTLE AGENCY Singapore, SINGAPORE |
| Advertising Agency | THE SECRET LITTLE AGENCY Singapore, SINGAPORE |
| Advertising Agency 2 | STRAWBERRYFROG New York, USA |
| Media Agency | MEC Singapore, SINGAPORE |
| Production Company | TELLART Providence, USA |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Hanyi Lee | The Secret Little Agency | Global Creative Officer |
| Kevin Mckeon | Strawberryfrog | North America Creative Officer |
| Nicholas Ye | The Secret Little Agency | Lead Production Officer |
| Nick Scappaticci | Tellart | Lead Production Officer |
| Dickson Sim | The Secret Little Agency | Executive Producer |
| Seth Synder | Tellart | Executive Producer |
| Justin Couch | Tellart | Lead Creative Technologist |
| Eunice Tan | The Secret Little Agency | Global Planning Director |
| Jose Kasijo | The Secret Little Agency | Global Business Director |
| Mj Butler | Strawberryfrog | North America Business Director |
| Mavis Neo | The Secret Little Agency | Creative Director Art |
| Ian Falcon | Strawberryfrog | Creative Director Copy |
| Camille Del Rosario | The Secret Little Agency | Lead Art Director |
| Zara Kok | The Secret Little Agency | Lead Art Director |
| Wenen Tang | The Secret Little Agency | Lead Copywriter |
| Michelle Wan | The Secret Little Agency | Lead Designer |
40% of Singapore's GDP depends on foreign investment. The country's economy lives or dies on these investments. Our objective was to increase foreign investment in Singapore, by connecting C-suite executives of MNCs with officers from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and raising awareness of Singapore as a innovative connector to players in the Asian markets.
We created the "LinkedIn of coffee machines", placing it at high-level business conferences where industry leaders gathered. The twist: it only started up when smart sensors detected two people in front of it. An interactive experience introduced the two and displayed relevant industry news before bringing them on a visual spectacle as exposed machinery made their coffees. Two coffees were dispensed together with personalised coffee cup sleeves printed with their names. The machine then revealed that their coffee connection was brought to them by Singapore. EDB officers found participants receptive to connecting and exchanging name cards after the experience.
Within the span of 3 hours at a single conference, 202 cups of coffee were served from a single machine (that's a pair of coffees made every 1 min 40 sec) and 397 name cards were exchanged. EDB officers averaged 5.6 minutes of face time with C-suite executives with 1372 key connections made. It amounted to a total investment potential of nearly SG$7.8 billion for Singapore's economy. Online, social media and content providers generated an additional 53 million impressions of the Coffee Connector.
Business influencers and leaders have seen it all, and people clamour for their attention on a daily basis. But even the most high-powered CEO takes breaks. We wanted to take over that highly targeted space with something that would entertain even the most jaded person while pushing the idea of connecting over coffee to the limit. The Coffee Connector acted as a visual method of showcasing Singapore's ability to connect business leaders in highly innovative ways. It also collected data like names and areas of interests from participants, giving EDB more insights into this elusive category of people.